I’m sure you’re with me on this one… Jesus holds the key to forgiving others.

Remember, God, forgave us (1 John 1:9).

And Christ died for our sins (1 Peter 2:24).

The Challenges of Forgiving Others

One of the toughest Christian challenges is forgiveness. The Bible doesn’t say forgiving others isn’t without hardship (Matthew 7:14).

No, letting go of the hurt caused by others brings unwanted emotions and takes time to heal.

Forgiving others isn’t impossible because abiding in Christ provides us with God’s powerful strength to forgive. This includes those who caused us severe spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical harm. However, it won’t be an effortless circumstance.

In God’s eyes, He sees every sin as unrighteous behavior.

But as humans, our outlook isn’t as simple. We react to specific sins in different ways.

In Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, we find excellent examples of sins that cause us problems in forgiving others. He called them the works of the flesh.

Paul said this:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

In this New King James Version interpretation, Paul listed seventeen transgressions. Paul’s focus on those behaviors wasn’t about forgiving others. But these sins are exceptional references to the problems they cause in forgiveness.

As you can see, this list shows harsh, evil conduct. For they highlight the wickedness of unsaved sinners. And when we become victimized by them, they cause us misery.

Besides these listed inequities, many others exist. For example, women in abusive relationships, sexual abuse, child molestation, and physical abuse are tough realities and inflect deep emotional, mental, and spiritual wounds. These circumstances present extreme problems and aren’t easy to forgive.

You may have other transgressions, not on this list. The point is, no matter what the trespass, Christ commands us to forgive them (Matthew 6:15).

Finding Strength to Forgive

Our greatest resource to forgive others is finding supernatural strength. There is only one who has the power to help us forgive.

His name is Jesus Christ.

We can agree on this. When God saved us, He forgave our sins. This astonishing revelation opened our eyes to His unbelievable mercy, love, and grace. For this reason, Jesus commands us to show the same forgiveness as those who sin against us (Mark 11:25).

Christ teaches us prayer’s significance (Matthew 6:5-13). For prayer establishes a conscious connection with God.

So, prayer is key in finding the strength to forgive our transgressors.

The indisputable power of prayer gives testimony to God’s omnipotence. Every answered prayer bears witness to His gracious mercy, and we discover the strength to forgive others.

But prayer isn’t magical. God listens and when He wishes to respond we receive His answer. In order to find His answer, we need to wait and continue seeking His will.

It’s in the Holy Spirit God extends His mighty hand and supplies us with the strength to let go of an unforgiving heart. This renewed heart leaves no doubt in the Lord’s powerful ability to change our spirit. As the result of His intervention, we can forgive our worst enemies.

Again, prayer and reliance on Christ lead to the strength needed to forgive others. Perseverance is required in both acts of faith. Paul reminds us to always pray (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Freedom from an unforgiven spirit takes time and through constant prayer, Jesus provides us with comfort.

Another way to help resolve unforgiveness is by talking with your pastor. Seeking Christian consoling will give more solutions.

As shown above, God provides us with more than one way to release hurt feelings. But I have to put forth the effort to receive His almighty strength.

Freedom from an Unforgiving Soul

Here’s the interesting part of forgiving others is the freedom it brings to the heart. It is unlike any other because the conflict between the pain caused by the transgressor and my refusal to forgive disappears. And Christ replaces those with a wave of incredible peace.

Believe me, I know the troubles coming from an unforgiven attitude.

When my ex-wife divorced me, everything changed. First, I couldn’t accept her rejection. Then the reality set in and I began harboring bitterness, resentment, and anger. This turmoil became unbearable.

My frequent phone calls to her weren’t pleasant because I wanted to cause her pain. This behavior lasted for a month. I became irritable, discontent, and enraged at her silence.

I refused to forgive her and my heart hardened.

Instead of turning to Christ for help, I began abusing alcohol. This cycle of drunkenness lasted eight years. Over this period, it didn’t resolve my behavior towards her. In fact, my life kept getting worse. The alcohol caused blackouts, and I became violent.

It gives me pleasure to announce God rescued me from my self-destructive behavior. He relieved me of the bondage of alcohol and regenerated my soul. I give Him full credit for releasing me from the evil one, and I’m forever grateful for His grace.

After getting sober, I still needed to forgive my ex-wife. My feelings towards her hadn’t changed. So, I used prayer and Christ’s courage to find the strength to forgive.

I’m not sure how long it took to forgive her. It wasn’t instant. I had to continue praying for her and ask God for the strength to forgive. The Holy Spirit showed me the sins I committed against her and I had to ask God’s forgiveness.

Today I have forgiven her and as the result, I’m freed from this problem. Christ replaced my unforgiveness with Christian love for her. I’m at peace with the divorce and pray for goodness in her life.

This is only one example of my story of unforgiveness. There are others. I wanted to show you how it works for me.

Given these points, God sees forgiving others as a crucial part of our salvation. We don’t have to look far to understand why He places forgiveness towards the top of His commandments. It’s in God’s sacrifice of Christ that proves His stance on forgiveness. Indeed, the cross represents God’s undeniable mercy.  This shows us why we need to forgive.

What’s your outlook on forgiving others?